Spicy chicken lettuce wraps

I've been toying with the idea of lettuce wraps for quite some time now. Never got around to it, because lets face it, I like lettuce in my wraps but really like it wrapped inside a tortilla. But I've had a couple friends mention how much they love them, and I've seen them on menus at restaurants, so I figured I better at least give it a go. So here's my go:

 

I made the crockpot buffalo chicken sandwiches except I omitted the butter, the ranch packet, and the cheese. Just throw 4-6 chicken boobs (yes, I'm a 12 year old) in to the crockpot with a sliced white onion and some buffalo sauce for about 3 hours on high.

 

I used Buffalo Wild Wings brand Spicy Garlic sauce this time. Since the day I found out they bottled and sold their sauces from their restaurants, we haven't eaten there. I love their sauce but don't like to eat fried wings, so I bake mine and use their sauce. Or I soak a chicken book in it and grill it for chicken sammies. Either way, you get the B-Dubb's taste without the B-Dubb's calorie attack...and that, my friends, is a good thing (can I even say that or is Martha Stewart going to be waiting in my closet tonight?).

In the last half hour of cooking, I added 3 celery stalks that were diced up to the crockpot. I like a little crunchity crunch in my wraps. You can add them at the beginning or omit them completely...do whatchu want. And here are the important people in your life right now...and by people, I mean ingredients. That was weird.

Take yoself a large piece of lettuce torn off the iceburg head (I used two to get all wrapped up) and fill it with your chicken mixture, a little cheese, and some light ranch. Roll that shizz up and shove it in your mouth.

I mean it. You have to shove it in there. The things fall apart so easy with hot insides and cold outsides, it was leaking everywheeeeeeere! All I wanted was to get all the yumminess in my mouthhole without losing any of it. This crockpot buffalo chicken is made again and again in our house due to its tastiness...I wasn't about to lose half of mine because my lettuce wasn't performing its duties correctly.

So I did what any rational person would do. Gave a good old Donald Trump "You're fired" hand gesture to the lettuce and wrapped the whole shebang up lovingly in a tortilla blanket so I could ingest it all. All of it. Every piece and dripping of sauce. And that is why I shall never do lettuce wraps again. The end.

Exept you should make this chicken...really, you'll thank me. Now it's the end.

Spicy sesame noodles with chicken

My wedding was planned around little memories and sentimentalities, that most people in attendance wouldn't even have noticed. The yellow roses in my bouquet? Those were a memorial to my Grandma Kratoska, who just adored yellow roses. The handkerchief I had wrapped around my bouquet? That was given to me by Justin's Aunt Cheryl and was owned by his Grandma Jamison, who has passed. The wedding box at the alter where we locked letters to each other and a bottle of wine to share on our anniversary? My father made it for us by hand. The beginning of my wedding speech? Honored and congratulated my parents on 31 years of marriage and my Grandma and Grandpa Bingaman on 57 years of marriage. I had planned on cutting a heart out of one of my Grandpa Kratoska's blazers to sew into my wedding dress and using one of my Great Grandma Bing's broaches for my necklace, but neither of those ideas ever ended up working out.

 

Remember when I told you about my wedding shower thrown by my lovely cousin Betsy for the Kratoska side? I received so many sentimental gifts that day, I get a tear in my eye just thinking about it. Just one tear though, don't go making fun of my emotional status today! The teacup that is pictured in that post was given to me by Betsy, and was originally our Great Grandma Maude's (my Grandpa Kratoska's mother) which she received as a wedding gift. The bowl that is pictured was given to my mother in a set when her and my father were married. These pieces of china made me. My Great Grandmother sipped from that cup before my Grandfather was a twinkle in her eye. And now it's mine. I get to sit and imagine her life then and her excitement about getting married and starting a family, except I know the future that she didn't have a glimpse of yet. I know she ends up having a boy named Jim, who has twins with his wife Mary. One of those twins is my father Dan, who married Shari and had their first child, a daughter named Abby (dat's me!). He gave his daughter away to be married to her husband, Main Man, this past October. It's mind-blowing when you think about the generations behind each of us. The twists in fate that put us right where we're supposed to be in order for life to continue how it should. And I sit with the hope that someday after I'm long gone, my great grand-daughter will be sitting in awe of the china teacup that I've passed down to her from my great grandmother. Oh, how neat would it be to see that moment!?

 

The other irreplaceable gift I received at that shower was the cookbook full of Kratoska favorites, in everyone's own handwriting. To be able to open that up and get the warm fuzzy I do when I decide to make a family recipe (like the tomato basil soup from my Aunt Kris) is indescribable. It's almost as if it brings me closer to my roots just by reading the words written by my loved ones. These cookbooks will be my favorite hand-me-down to my children someday...you know, when I get good enough that I don't need recipes to cook anymore, and can just throw things together like my Grandma Theda can. Nothin' beats Grandma food, I don't care who you are. It's the ultimate comfort cooking.

 

This recipe was my cousin Emma's contribution to that book. Emma is the one that made our save the dates and our programs for the big day, and she recently got engaged herself!! Another Kratoska wedding in the works, yippeeeee!! Emma also knows her cousin very well, and included a pasta recipe with some kick in the pants for me to try after leaving the Kratoska name behind...so I did. And I loved it! Very simple, very slurpworthy, and very taste-tacular! I'm a little upset that I waited so long to make this...

 

8 oz dry wheat spaghetti

1 garlic clove (I used 4...shoot me!)

1 cup fresh snow peas (I used spinach instead, no snow peas on hand)

1 T grated fresh ginger

3 T rice wine vinegar

3 T soy sauce (I used low sodium)

1 T canola oil (I used olive oil)

1 T water

1 T sesame oil

3 t Sriracha (I used 3 times that amount, I like me some heat)

2 t honey

1 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast (I just cooked and seasoned 2 breasts and diced them up)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

 

Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions. When the spaghetti goes in, mist a skillet with cooking spray and add the garlic and snow peas (or spinach). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until garlic is fragrant. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, oils, water, sriracha, and honey in a small bowl and stir to combine. When the spaghetti is cooked, transfer to a colander to drain and pour the spaghetti back into the pot. Add the chopped chicken and snow peas/garlic mixture. Pour the prepared sauce over the mixture and stir until coated. Top with cilantro. I added sesame seeds on top for good measure.

 

Yields: 6 one cup servings

 

 

Seafood risotto

You guys. I know it's only Tuesday, so it's tough to get excited. But if ever you were excited about something I've posted, it should be this. Brudder Ben and Main Man were both whining about dinner when I told them what we were having but were oooohhhhh-ing and aaaahhhhhh-ing between forkfulls when it was put it front of them. Booyah. I was born in the 80's, I can use words like booyah.

Do you watch Chopped? It's a cooking show where 4 chefs start out to compete on a 3 course meal prepared using mystery ingredients that are only provided to them seconds before they start. One chef is chopped after each course, so they are frantically trying to beat the clock, get all the mystery ingredients incorporated, and make a visually appealing, taste bud conquering dish to present the judges. They get 30  minutes for each course, and I've seen the judges get superbly nervous when someone attempts a risotto, and even watched chefs get chopped because of that choice. So I was scurred to make it at home. It's an intimidating dish, but it's not complicated, just time consuming. I'm telling you right now, buck up and do this or you will be sorry. If you can stir for 30 minutes, you can make restaurant worthy risotto. Let's throw another BOOYAH in here for emphasis!

Risotto is a class of Italian rice dishes cooked in broth to a creamy consistency, and is actually one of the most common ways to prepare rice in Italy (according to the all knowing Wikipedia, that is). You must use a high starch, short grain white rice to achieve the perfect consistency, as the rice needs to release starch and absorb liquids. Most commonly, risotto recipes call for arborio rice, and that's what I used. I get a monthly newsletter from Waterfront (our local fresh seafood market that I signed up for when getting fresh fish for sushi at home one night). I have since made a handful of the recipes that are printed in the back, and have never been disappointed in the least. I should really dig the archives out and try more of them after experiencing the euphoria I did from this dish...

Here's what you need to play the game:

1 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 cups seafood stock (I used chicken stock because I had it on hand)
1 t minced garlic (I used more like 1T)
1 lb arborio rice
2 lbs assorted shellfish and seafood (I used 1 lb of scallops, 1 lb of shrimp)
1 T butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used skim milk)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
3 T chopped green onion
2 T parsley

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions. Season with salt and pper to taste, and cook while stirring. Saute until the onions are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the stock and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the rice and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.

Clean and trim the shellfish and seafood you're using. Season the seafood with salt and pepper. Add the seafood to the skillet. Stir in the butter, cream , cheese, parsley, and green onions. Continue to cook and stir for 6-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and spoon the risotto onto your plate, and into  your mouth. I served this with our favorite veggie, the roasted brussel sprouts. Can I get another BOOYAH!?

Roasted jalapeno grilled cheese

Happy Monday, all! Oh, I know I'm a bit late today. It literally took all the strength I could muster to pull myself out from under the warm covers in my blackout blind darkened bedroom this morning when my alarm went off...let's be real, it was after the third time the alarm went off. The sleep function got a lot of exercise today...gotta make sure it works properly, ya know.

 

I honestly think I have a food hangover. I ate so much naughty food this weekend that I can literally feel it coursing through my veins. Chili, cornbread, hot wings, pizza, cheesecake, cheeseburger, french fries...omg, that list is making me convulse in shock. We had a surprise birthday party for a friend and hosted a chili cookoff, which meant I had to try all 11 types of chili (I made jalapeno popper chicken chili which I will share with you soon) to see which was the best...I rose to the challenge. The superbowl is always a battle, and one I didn't win this year. I was too hungry by game time to be counting any calories...a healthy snack beforehand would've been useful to curb that growling pizza monster inside of me, but I was blinded by the piles of cheese and went face first in the pie the second I saw it. Oh well, you only live once, right?

 

I won't be making this adult style grilled cheese this week, as my stomach needs a break from all foods spicy, but I will be making it again and that's a fact! Main Man loves my Griddler, and is so excited when he sees it pulled out...I didn't think the smile could get bigger but then I said "jalapeno grilled cheese" and his face almost broke in half. These don't really pack too much heat because the peppers are roasted, which tames them a bit. I went with just cheese and peppers on mine but Main Man wanted one with just cheese and peppers and one with turkey as well as the cheese and peppers so we did a little experiment. I had some asiago bread leftover so we used that but you can use whatever bread calls to your pretty little jalapeno loving heart!

 

bread

fontina cheese

smoked cheddar cheese

jalapeno peppers

mayo (I use fat free)

 

First you roast your whole jalapeno peppers for about 10 minutes in an oven that's preheated to 400 degrees. Once they have the pretty black marks on them and they look a little shriveled, they're done. Take them out of the oven and dice them up to be layered on top of your bread and cheese. Spread the empty side of the bread with mayo and put your sammies together for their final performance...in the Griddler!

 

I luuuurve making paninis (check out the Griddler tab for more recipes) because they're so simple and hands off once you throw them on the grill...and they come out looking like deli style sammies! the grill marks just get me salivating every time.  Shut the Griddler and leave it on medium heat for 10 minutes or so (depending how done you like your paninis).

 

Pull the sandwiches off and serve while piping hot cheese is still juicing out the sides. These were faaaaaabulous, you guys! Not too much heat, but some smoky flavor in there that is mighty impressive. It's neat that the flavor of a jalapeno changes when it gets cooked. I want to say it adds a sweetness factor to the peppers, maybe it's the sugars being broken down in the heat or something? I don't need to know why...I just need to know that it happens and I sleep just fine at night.

I hope you're all crawling out of your food hangover today and having something a little more fresh than the fare I devoured this weekend. Main Man is out of town this evening so I will make something pretty light to much on and hope to feel a little less weighted down tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off...maybe I'll even hop up after the first time!? One can only hope...

BLT bites

Wanna know a secret? This is the last recipe from the Christmas season...all the recipes from here on out were actually prepared this year. Sorry for being so behind on life. I've always been a little slow :)

 

I realize this picture is not the best. I realize I didn't actually make these with my own two hands (thank you Teri, these were lifechanging). But you have to understand...there was no way that I could keep this recipe from you. Not a possibility. I plowed through these things like a snowblower, you guys. Actually maybe more like a woodchipper...chewed them up and kept coming back for more. No matter how full I was, I could always fit one more into the pit. Kinda like the pesto cream cheese tomatoes I made for Easter this year. Something about cherry tomatoes stuffed with goodness. They're my kryptonite.

Ingredients

• 1 container cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 lb sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Cut a thin slice off of each tomato top. Scoop out and discard pulp. Invert the tomatoes on a paper towel to drain.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon into tomatoes. Refrigerate for several hours. Yield: 16-20 appetizer serving

If you want to see what an actual photographer can make these look like, and not a fat kid snapping a pic in between handfulls of food, check out the link to the actual recipe here at Taste of Home.  Un.Real.

Deviled egg dip

In case any of you were interested, I was featured on Simply Bridal's website a couple of months ago since I won a free wedding dress from them last year. I entered a Facebook contest based on votes from friends and won 3rd place, which qualified me to choose a dress from their website. I still feel bad about my constant posting begging all my friends to vote for me, but only a little bad when I think about how excited I was to find out that I won on Christmas morning. Seriously...best Christmas ever. Anyway, check out my interview with them and if you are in the market for a wedding dress anytime soon, I would recommend them hands down! I would not, however, recommend eating this dip. This is a post wedding dress diet dip, mind you. You may even want to stop reading now, because the calories could be airborne. Not sure, just playing it safe...I'm here for you.

 

You know how I feel about deviled eggs, right? Well, at least how I feel about my Aunt Vicki's deviled eggs...

 

They are strictly holiday food. No cheating. There's no reason in this world that I should eat 12 deviled eggs, and that's exactly what I would do if I was only sharing with Main Man. The only reason we stop eating them at holidays is when they're gone. There's literally never one deviled egg leftover from the double to quadrupled batch at my family gatherings. But they're kinda a pain to make, ya know? It's a process. With a result like Aunt Vicki's deviled eggs, it's worth it. But I was sort of thinking life could be a little easier...kinda like when I discovered that I could cook sweet corn in the microwave. Lifechanging. So I figured this was worth a shot. I saw a couple recipes for it on Pinterest, but decided to use Aunt Vicki's recipe to make this a dip. I just diced up the egg whites and added them to the filling, rather than filling them with the yolk mixture. Check the link above for the ingredients and instructions, and throw this stuff together for your Superbowl party...you won't be disappointed! I used Triscuits for dipping but you could use Wheat Thins, or even Club crackers. Waaaaaay easier, and my deviled egg lovin' Main Man was impressed as well. Win, win!

 

 

Jalapeno creamed corn

Mmmmmmmmmm. That's it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1-8oz package cream cheese (I use fat free)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

2-4 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

4 10oz cans white shoepeg corn, drained

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Melt the butter and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat

Stir in the flour, milk, and jalapeños

Cook until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency

Pour the corn into a 2-quart casserole dish

Pour the cheese mixture over the corn

Cover with aluminum foil

Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 45 minutes

 

Don't let my lack of verbage make you believe this dish is less than fabulastic. Nice little pops of flavor but not too much heat, these will be on my menu again soon, fo sho. It's even been entered into the "favorites" tab...and that just speaks for itself.